City Celebrates Park and Recreation Month in July

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The City of McPherson will mark National Park and Recreation Month throughout July with activities and educational programming highlighting the city's parks and outdoor spaces. The observance, celebrated nationally each July for more than 40 years, recognizes the more than 160,000 full-time park and recreation professionals who maintain local, state and community parks. This year's theme is "The Power Of…" More information is available at nrpa.org/july.

Youth Fishing Derby Draws More Than 180 Kids

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The city's Public Lands & Facilities Department hosted the 19th annual Youth Fishing Derby in June at Lakeside Park, where more than 140 kids ages 2 to 15 pre-registered and roughly 40 more joined the day of the event. Anglers landed 274 fish between 8 and 11 a.m., with prizes awarded in three age groups and three drawing winners receiving new bicycles and gift packs from Scheels of Wichita. First-place finishers were Ramsey Potter and Dylahn Matteson (6 and under), Cambria Lockard and Levi Godwin (7-11) and Meredith Herndon and Nolan Frazier (12-15).

Chamber Members Tour Wastewater Treatment Facility

MCPHERSON, Kan. — McPherson Chamber of Commerce members visited the city's wastewater treatment facility in June for a Chamber Connections event, where Public Works Director Eric Duerksen presented a recently completed comprehensive study that will guide the plant for the next 30 years and confirmed the facility can meet future demand with ongoing upgrades. Superintendent Mike Wagner, a 36-year city employee, noted the plant was built in 1931 and became the first municipal wastewater facility in Kansas to use sequencing batch reactor technology in 1990.

City Staff Gather for Patriotic Quarterly Lunch

MCPHERSON, Kan. — City employees from all departments met in June for their quarterly lunch-hour gathering, a practice launched over the past year to improve communication and collaboration across city services. The McPherson Convention & Visitors Bureau organized this quarter's event, with hosts Joni Regnier, Nick McQueen and Katie Krier delivering a patriotic-themed gathering at the McPherson Community Building.

Independence Pops, Fireworks Highlight Holiday Weekend

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The Intrepid Brass Band will present Independence Pops 2026 at 8 p.m. Friday, July 3, at the San Romani Bandshell in Lakeside Park, sponsored in part by McPherson College and the McPherson Convention & Visitors Bureau, followed by a screening of "Rocky" on the bandshell screen as part of National Park and Recreation Month activities. On July 4, the annual fireworks show sponsored by CHS of McPherson begins at Wall Park with food trucks, face painting, free cookies and live music from Steel Skarecrow starting at 7 p.m., with fireworks at dark.

Police, Fire Captains Launch Leadership Course for City Staff

MCPHERSON, Kan. — Capt. Kyle Askren of the McPherson Police Department and Capt. Alden Slack of the McPherson Fire Department developed and presented Leadership 1.0 to city staff in June, the first course in a planned series. The one-hour session focused on leadership fundamentals, emphasizing influence, communication and accountability in the workplace as part of the city's investment in employee development.

Public Works Tees Up at Chamber Classic Golf Tournament

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The city's Public Works Department participated in the Chamber Classic Golf Tournament in June at Turkey Creek Golf Course, serving as a tee sponsor and staffing Hole 15 to share information about city services. Staff added a permit/abatement-style wheel challenge that could hand golfers an easy hole-in-one or require them to putt with an unusual object or drive from a seated position, with Planning & Zoning Administrator Alexis Dargiewicz and Public Works Director Eric Duerksen credited for the concept.

Commission Sets July 14 Special Session on Revenue Neutral Rate

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson City Commission will hold a special session at 8:30 a.m. July 14 in the Commission Room of the McPherson Municipal Center, 400 E. Kansas Ave., to discuss a proposed resolution to exceed the revenue neutral rate for the 2027 budget. The revenue neutral rate is the tax rate that would generate the same property tax revenue as the previous year using the current year's total assessed valuation.

City Posts Active Bid Opportunities Online

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The city's Public Works Department maintains an active online listing of projects out for bid, giving contractors and other service providers a running look at available work. The list is available on the city's website.

Water Park Hosts First Responder Family Night July 3

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson Water Park will partner with the McPherson Police Department and McPherson County Sheriff's Office for a family night from 5 to 8 p.m. July 3 honoring local first responders. The event features special pool admission, free snow cones and a meet and greet with department members.

Park Department Launches Weekly Plant Hunt

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson Park Department will post a clue each Monday in July on social media about a plant located in one of the city's parks, inviting followers to find it and submit a photo of themselves with the plant. Correct responses will be entered into a weekly prize drawing. Submissions go to parksoffice@mcpcity.com, and questions can be directed to 620-245-2565.

McPherson Joins Regional Emergency Alert System

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The city is joining the South Central Kansas regional notification system through Everbridge, its emergency alert provider, allowing residents in 14 counties including McPherson to receive critical emergency alerts and community news. Users who sign up can choose how they receive notifications, including home, mobile or business phones, email or text messages.

Fire Department Teaches Safety at Fireworks With a Fireman

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson Fire Department participated June 26 in the annual Fireworks with a Fireman event at Hopp's Sound and Sno Shack, which featured bounce houses, food, games, water attractions and live music from Sam Unruh. The department educated families about fireworks dangers and provided hands-on fire extinguisher training as part of its Community Risk Reduction program under Division Chief Chet Ranzau, an effort funded entirely through donations.

City Reminds Residents of Fireworks Rules

MCPHERSON, Kan. — City ordinance allows fireworks to be sold or discharged only July 2-4 between 10 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., with discharge permitted until midnight July 4. Fireworks are prohibited on public property, public streets and in the central business district bounded by Woodside, Sutherland, Ash and Maple streets, and bottle rockets, sky lanterns and metal sparklers are banned within city limits unless part of an authorized display, though bamboo sparklers are permitted.

Police Lead Series of Emergency Response Trainings

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson Police Department conducted three major preparedness exercises in June, including an active shooter drill at Roosevelt Elementary School led by Sgt. Burkhart and Sgt. Caballero with McPherson EMS Director Brian Falco as part of Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training. Police Chief Mikel Golden and Capt. Jason Cummins also moderated a tabletop exercise simulating a tornado striking eastern McPherson, and city responders joined the Kansas National Guard's Company B, 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment for a multi-agency drill simulating an emergency helicopter landing at McPherson Airport.

Memorial Park Pond Gets Cleaning, New Fountain

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson Park Department drained and cleaned the Memorial Park Pond in June, removing accumulated sludge in a long-overdue maintenance project. Culver Fish Farm provided temporary storage for the pond's live fish during the work, and the department installed a new fountain and lights once the cleanup was complete.

Commission Approves Citywide Pavement Condition Survey

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The City Commission on June 16 approved an agreement with Transmit Corp. for a pavement condition survey of streets throughout the community. The technology scans road thickness and assigns each road segment a score, helping the Public Works Department prioritize street maintenance and reconstruction projects to make the best use of available funds.

Hickory Street Reconstruction Set for Late Summer

MCPHERSON, Kan. — Bids have been received for the Hickory Street project, with construction anticipated to begin in late summer or early fall. The city has obtained the necessary easements and utility relocations are underway for the reconstruction near Hayes, which will widen the street and add new curb and gutter.

West Kansas Avenue Project Slated for 2027

MCPHERSON, Kan. — Surveying is complete for an upcoming Kansas Department of Transportation project on West Kansas Avenue (U.S. Highway 56), part of the City Connecting Link Improvement Program. Work is not expected to begin until 2027 and will occur in two phases from Maple Street to the U.S. Highway 81 Bypass, with design completion and bidding tentatively scheduled for summer 2027.

Three Mill and Overlay Projects Scheduled This Season

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The city has slated three mill and overlay projects this season, beginning with completions of block reconstructions on Myers Street and the 1100 block of Elm, tentatively scheduled for the end of August and awarded to APAC-Kansas. The third project covers Janasu Road from Briarwood Lane east and Heritage Place from Janasu north to the cul-de-sac.

Source: McPherson Matters, the City of McPherson eNewsletter, July 2026.

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